Speaking generally about the topic of "why do you want to go there?": When someone tells me they're going to visit somewhere off the beaten path, I either assume they're going to visit family, or there's something really cool about it that I just don't happen to know. If I do ask what's special about a place, I say it in a tone of real interest, not snottily.

I can believe it, Lady Pekoe. DH and I were seriously considering moving out to Iowa, to the town my friend lives in. When I told someone else this who works as a special ed teacher at various schools in the county, she said "But what about your boys education? The schools out there aren't very good!"

The last I checked--it's been awhile--Iowa had the highest literacy rate (99%) in the country.

Yes. The schools in Iowa are actually considered to be quite good. Both their K-12 and higher educational institutions are exceptional. Iowa is a fabulous place to live.

I was born in Iowa and moved to Minnesota (land of 10,000 lakes and all) as a child. My family goes to a lake in Iowa for vacation every August. The jokes get old really, really fast. I've been to resorts, wineries, cultural festivals, art museums, zoos, and so much more in Iowa. I believe that there is something worth enjoying in just about every place you could visit.

We go camping for our vacation every year. It's not in a tent anymore, the knees can't take it now like they used to. But we get a lot of people questioning us when we say we are going camping. Especially me, because people can't believe I love camping. We see a lot more that way. Of course that's just us, I hear some people don't really care for it.

If you want to hear snide comments, try being FROM Iowa. And I love Iowa! I was just there for three fun-filled weeks, I honestly think that Des Moines is shaping up to be one of the coolest cities in the Midwest, and I would happily move back there from Colorado if I found a job.

Ha! I am from Minnesota and the minute I mention that a lot of people are like, "Oh you're from Minnesoooooota eh? Ya, you betcha". Or they'll ask me if I have a funny accent. My DH likes to tease me about that (to be fair, there are a few words in which I "extend" the vowel sounds, shall we say), but I don't mind that generally because it's in good fun. I am living in MD now too, and I think that there are some people on both coasts who view "flyover country" as less interesting or exciting. Like PP said, I can totally understand not being particularly interested in visiting, but I don't think it's right to denigrate an area especially if you've never been there. I say they just don't know what they're missing.

I got a little grief last year when BF and I decided to take a road trip to Omaha (from Chicago). It was mostly from a friend that I can joke around with. The first time she mentioned it (in response to a facebook post about the trip), I gave her a serious answer - I explained to her what attracted us to Omaha. When her response was still less than excited, I responded with "It's a good thing you're not going with us, then!" I think that one's polite enough, if it's said with a smile. I'm also a fan of "isn't it a good thing we aren't all exactly the same?" and "Why would I want to visit a place that's exactly the same as home?" (when asked why we'd go somewhere quieter and smaller and less urban than Chicago)

Also, Omaha was awesome, I got to meet a cool ehellion, and I'm glad BF talked me into it.

We did a cross-country drive a few years ago. Drove through Des Moines when it was flooded (well, we didn't drive through a flood but could see it in the distance), and then stopped in Omaha. The college baseball world series was going on, and a lot of things were happening. We ended up having a lot of fun.

Yep, those are the only two drawbacks I've found in my 26 years in Omaha.

I get this sort of reaction a lot about it, though. I'm in school right now and a bunch of my classmates are from other areas of the country (mostly the Midwest, but a few are from farther than that), and some of them express shock that I want to stay in Omaha and dismay that they are stuck there for the remainder of their schooling. Whenever the second issue comes up, I always want to say "Yeah, I wish you could have gone to school in your home state too."

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...I learned my lesson / And yes, I still remember the last one / But this time will be different / Until I do it again... ~Phish, "Kill Devil Falls"

Speaking of the Great Lakes, I heard the song, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" on the radio the other day. Good song, and it reminded me of my friend who told me about seeing Split Rock lighthouse as a kid, and told me about the song.

As she's the one in Iowa, it made me think of this thread. Isn't it funny how sometimes two unrelated thoughts somehow seem to string themselves together?

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Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here. Be cheerful, strive to be happy. -Desiderata

I'm going to be honest, I would have very little interest in going to Iowa. But I would never dream of insulting someone who thought Iowa was awesome and wanted to visit!

My husband and I want to someday visit Antarctica, and when that happens I'm sure many people will scratch their heads and wonder why as well.

Different types of vacations for different people. I don't understand the point of insulting people because they like something different. Otherwise only a few places in the world would be just as packed as DisneyWorld, and that would be no fun at all.

I'm from Kentucky and went to college in Arkansas. To say there are negative stereotypes associated with both places that leave people asking, "Why in the world would you want to live THERE?!" is to understate the issue by a great deal. But there's a ton to do in both places and a great deal to see, especially if you enjoy being outdoors. We have so many lakes here in Kentucky, and most of them have state parks, so excellent camping and boating facilities. There's the horse park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, just driving through horse country. Go to the Louisville Slugger museum or visit one of the many bourbon distilleries. Visit the house where Harriet Beecher Stowe saw the slave auction that inspired Uncle Tom's Cabin (that's in my home town). See a Revolutionary War battlefield and re-enactment. It's not all "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, living in the Appalachan Mountains mining coal for a living" by a long shot.